How often do you get that student in your class who just does not want to move? That student who has every excuse in the book for not wanting to participate in physical activity? That student who is not interested in being physically active and who does not care about being well? Being well requires being motivated—being motivated to move, eat well, and take care of ourselves—and that motivation is difficult for some people to find.
Being well requires being motivated—being motivated to move, eat well, and take care of ourselves—and that motivation is difficult for some people to find.
So how do we define “wellness” for our students? Most describe it as the health of mind, body, and spirit and how these components interact to make someone well. Some even say that wellness is a multidimensional state of being, including the existence of positive health, which includes quality of life and well-being (Corbin and Pangrazi). Wellness can also be defined as “the state of being in good health” (Oxford Dictionary), which, in a holistic sense, translates to having a healthy mind, body, and spirit. In the balance of each of these elements, we are being well.
Since I teach exercise science, I often focus on the physical aspect of health and wellness. I talk with my students about how to care for the amazing bodies God has given us and how we can teach others to use them for God’s glory. We focus on muscles, bones, movements, exercise, muscle physiology, and other fun physical aspects of wellness. And having the privilege to teach at a Christian college has given me the added opportunity to make connections between physical and spiritual aspects of health and wellness. My college believes that educating the whole person is important, and that includes nurturing and strengthening our whole selves for better service to God and God’s community. So my students and I make the connections of our bodies being the temples of God and how we can honor God with our bodies (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Just pause and think about your body as a temple where God lives every day. Wow! What a humbling experience for us as Christians. It’s an honor to make the promise we make to God when we commit our lives to Him. In my classes, we often talk about this amazing gift and how important it is to take care of it and to help others learn how to take care of it too.
Physical activity patterns are set in adolescence and often decline throughout the teen years, with a significant drop during the transition from high school to college
A significant part of taking care of our bodies is physical activity and movement. When one researches the physical activity patterns of the general public across their lifespans, one finds that college students are more obese and less active than high school students (Egli et al.; Pauline), and this is mostly because these students are either reducing or abandoning physical activity at some point before or during their college years (Pauline). A significant factor here is that physical activity patterns are set in adolescence and often decline throughout the teen years, with a significant drop during the transition from high school to college (Madonia et al.). I talk with my physical education teacher education (PETE) and exercise science (ES) students about the importance of making physical activity fun and achievable for everyone and how such activity helps people stick with physical activity throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. It is easy to be the P.E. teacher or personal trainer who works with the athletic kids because these students want to be there. But these are not the kids who are at risk for a decline in physical activity later in life. It is the kids who are a little less coordinated, who do not make many baskets, who cannot throw far, or who cannot run easily who are at risk. Their decline in activity is often because they did not feel encouraged or were not shown that physical activity can be fun and achievable. It was not until I began my dissertation research that I fully realized the important connections between the mental and physical aspects of wellness. And this brings us to motivation and physical activity.
Being motivated to be physically active is very important for long-term health, avoidance of disease, improved academic performance, reduction in anxiety, more time on task, improved attentiveness and concentration, weight management, and much more (CDC). Physical activity requires both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, with intrinsic motivation being the satisfaction of internal rewards and extrinsic motivation being tangible rewards that exist outside of the individual (Deci and Ryan). What motivates us to be physically active is often based on autonomy (seeing ourselves as in charge of our behavior), relatedness (being socially connected), and competence (feeling able to conquer a challenge) (Deci and Ryan). It is in the interactions of these three basic psychological needs where behaviors can change and regulation can occur. This includes our past experiences and who/what we surround ourselves with. God has created each of us as unique, with different personalities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and these are what help to create our intrinsic and extrinsic motives. If students feel autonomous (with confidence instilled by a P.E. teacher), related (connected to and supported by classmates/teammates), and competent (knowledge presented in a fun way by their P.E. teacher or coach), they will feel that their needs are met and the probability will increase that we have created a positive health and wellness habit in our students (Wang et al.).
Researching for my dissertation what motivates college students to be physically active resulted in some insights into this topic. I looked at both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors for previous high school athletes versus non-athletes because of the fact that the more intrinsically motivated a college student is, the more likely they are to participate in physical activity (Madonia et al.). I wanted to see what motivated (or didn’t motivate) our college students to be physically active. The significant intrinsic motivators for students on my college campus consisted of challenge, affiliation, revitalization, and enjoyment. What this meant was that students who had previously been athletes wanted to be challenged, others wanted to belong to or be accepted by a group, a third group wanted to be physically active because it invigorated them, and a fourth population just enjoyed moving. The significant extrinsic motivators were competition, social recognition, and strength and endurance. What this meant was that some students wanted to prove themselves against someone else and also wanted to be recognized publicly for it. But it also meant that having strength and endurance was important to these students, which was exciting because this influenced fitness center programming for our general student population.
Physical activity habits are formed early in life (Madonia et al.), so it is important that educators at all levels understand that how we present physical activity to our students will have a lasting impact on them and their future health and wellness. The more positive we can make their physical activity experience at a young age, the more we will contribute to the positive development of their autonomy, relatedness, and competence for physical activity in their future, which means they can be healthy and well for life. Physical activity does require both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in order to create healthy habits and also to maintain that discipline. So, it is important to help them find their motivation to be physically active, but it is also important for them to know how to maintain it. Having both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators will help increase the chances of long-term maintenance. Onward, Christian soldiers!
My students and I have often talked about how we, as Christians, are held to a standard of taking care of our bodies because they are a gift from God, and they are His temple. We are commissioned to take care of this vessel we have been given for our time on earth. And if I, as a P.E. professor, am going to guide my students to Christlike service, it begins with being an example of positivity and support for physical activity. The more I can instill a positive and supportive nature in my students, the better chance they have of passing this on to their students and clients in the future. My students need to know how to teach that physical activity is fun and achievable. If my students do not start with those two basics, then they will not reach their own future students.
While research shows that children need to find their physical activity motivators early in life for better chances at long-term health and wellness, it is never too late to find their motivation (or help someone else find theirs) to be physically active. So please do not give up! It could be intrinsic: they finally find something that makes them happy or find the right group to join or the right partner to walk with. Or it could be extrinsic: they find a competitive league to play in, or they start to see improvements in their strength and want to continue. It’s going to be different for all of us. But we also know that it is important to be physically active, so we need to find what works for each person in our classes and try to support and foster that in them. This body of ours is the temple of the Holy Spirit; it is not something we can abuse and misuse. We are called by God to take care of our bodies—some of us just need a little more nudging than others.
I highly recommend exploring your own “why”—finding your motivations to be physically active—then sharing that with your students and creating an environment for others to explore their “why.” Make physical activity fun. Make physical activity successful for everyone. Increase their chances of being physically active for a lifetime. By doing this, we will glorify God. How many of us can truly sing “It is well, with my soul . . . and body and mind”? My prayer is that you can and that you are able to pass that gift along to your students!
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Benefits of Physical Activity.” September 2020. www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/.
Corbin, C. B., and R. P. Pangrazi. “Toward a Uniform Definition of Wellness: A Commentary.” President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, vol. 3, no. 15, 2001, pp. 3–10.
Deci, E.L., and R. M. Ryan. “The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior.” Psychological Inquiry, vol. 11, 2000, pp. 227–68.
Egli, T., H. W. Bland, B. F. Melton, and D. R. Czech. “Influence of Age, Sex, and Race on College Students’ Exercise Motivation of Physical Activity.” Journal of American College Health, vol. 59, no. 5, 2013, pp. 399–406.
Madonia, J. S., A. E. Cox, and M. L. Zahl. “The Role of High School Physical Activity Experience in College Students’ Physical Activity Motivation.” International Journal of Exercise Science, vol. 7, no. 2, 2014, pp. 98–109.
Oxford Dictionary. “Wellness.” www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/wellness?q=wellness.
Pauline, J. S. “Physical Activity Behaviors, Motivation, and Self-Efficacy among College Students.” College Student Journal, vol. 47, no. 1, 2013, pp. 64–74.
Ryan, R. M., & E. L. Deci. “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist, vol. 55, no. 1, 2000, pp. 68–78.
Wang, C. J., W. C. Liu, Y. Sun, B. C. Lim, and N. D. Chatzisarantis. “Chinese Students’ Motivation in Physical Activity: Goal Profile Analysis Using Nicholl’s Achievement Goal Theory.” International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, vol. 8, no. 3, 2010, pp. 284–301.
Dr. Shari Jurgens is an associate professor of physical education, recreation, and kinesiology at Trinity Christian College. Her research focuses on motivations to be physically active in the college population and beyond. Her teaching focus is exercise science, and her passion is to make movement fun and successful for all because she believes that doing this at a young age is important for being motivated to move later in life.
